Skype released an updated version of its desktop app for Windows computers, which includes the anticipated Facebook integration.  There’s a new tab for importing Facebook news feeds and contacts into your Skype, so you can call your Facebook friends from the application.

For Skype, it’s an important move that will encourage a great deal more interaction amongst users—so many chat tools are all-encompassing for integrated buddy lists, it’s smart for Skype to find a way to layer in more features such as this.  I imagine this will incur additional interest in video calls, and move Skype along its road towards standardizing VoIP integration into third party services and vice versa.

Skype is banking on this–today’s update also includes a new group video chat feature to test out.

It’s a step in the grand scheme of Skype’s plans for Facebook integration—we’re likely to see more options for utilizing Skype directly from your social network.  But as we’ve seen lately, the days of centering all your social activity around Facebook’s actual site are numbered.

Facebook is taking great lengths to expand its access outside of its website, adding instant personalization to Bing search results, Like buttons on third party sites, and now, news feeds in your Skype chat tool.